Water Use
Reducing Our Use Of Water
We use large volumes of water – 3.7 billion litres from municipal and groundwater sources in the UK every year. On average, this translates to 1.59 litres of water per litre of drink produced in Great Britain. This includes all the water used in the production process for washing, rinsing, heating and cooling and compares favourably with other drinks manufacturers. Our aim is to reduce our water usage ratio in Great Britain to 1.5.
We’ve taken a number of steps in this direction:
- 1.59
- litres used per litre of product we produce.
- Between 2005 and 2006, we invested in metering systems at East Kilbride and Wakefield – two of the manufacturing sites that use the most water. These systems are helping us identify where our water use is less efficient and to make changes accordingly.
- Where appropriate, we’ve changed our system so conveyors no longer need water to transport our products.
- We’ve introduced a new system that cleans our filtration equipment only when necessary, rather than automatically at set intervals.
- During 2006 we designed and implemented a full shut-down procedure for the water supply at our Edmonton manufacturing site. This restricts the water supply to equipment when it is not in use and has made a significant difference to our water use. So far in 2007, the ratio of litres of water used to litres of drink produced at Edmonton has dropped from 1.71 in 2006 to 1.64.
- We introduced a new water treatment plant at Wakefield in 2007 to process water coming into the site. This new plant is much more efficient and saves approximately 6.5 million litres of water per year.
- We’ve developed a site-by-site water usage improvement plan for all sites in Great Britain in 2007.
As a result of these steps our water usage ratio has improved by 21% since 2001.
Working with Industry Partners
We work with industry partners to help reduce water usage in the UK. In 2006/07, CCE’s European Environment Manager chaired the FISS (Food Industry Sustainability Strategy) Champions Group on water sustainability. This group was established to identify how the food and drink industry can help deal with the challenges the UK faces in relation to water.
The Champions Group published its report in May 2007 and presented its recommendations to the Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming at DEFRA. The report includes recommended targets on water use and strategies for water use reduction by industry, Government and regulators.
The report can be viewed in full at www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/fiss/water.htm
